Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Geoff Ziezulewicz at the Navy
Times offers a piece on the Navy getting back into anti-drug operations in the Southern
Command.

The Navy is set to get back
into U.S. Southern Command’s growing and “vital” anti-drug mission, dedicating
at least four ships to the effort in 2018, according to a Navy secretary letter
obtained by Navy Times.

The Navy stopped providing
surface combatants for the anti-drug effort in 2015, when the service retired
its last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, although patrol coastal ships have
operated in the command’s waters since then.

Secretary Richard Spencer’s
Dec. 5 memo to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson states that
SOUTHCOM’s joint task force “is a very important element in the control of
illegal drug transportation.”al Security Division.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Akayed Ullah, 27, of
Brooklyn, New York, and a lawful permanent resident from Bangladesh, has been
charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in
connection with Ullah’s attempted detonation of a bomb in a subway terminal near
the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City on Dec. 11. At least three people were injured as a
result of the detonation.

Attorney General Jeff
Sessions, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana J.
Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim for the Southern District of New York,
Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr., of the FBI’s New York Field
Office and Commissioner James P. O’Neill of the NYPD made the
announcement. Ullah will be presented
before the Honorable Katharine H. Parker.

"The Department of
Justice is relentless in taking on the terrorist threat," said Attorney
General Sessions. "In my time back
at the Department, nothing has impressed me more. Since 9/11, the Department has convicted more
than 500 criminals of terrorism-related offenses, and the FBI has open
terrorism investigations in every state.
To make law enforcement’s job easier, however, Congress must finally fix
our broken immigration system so that we admit to this country those who are
likely to succeed, not violent criminals, gang members, terrorists, or their
sympathizers. The fact that somebody won a lottery or is someone’s relative
tells us nothing about their ability to assimilate. Nevertheless, the Department of Justice will
prosecute this case and every other case to the fullest extent of the law, and
we will bring those who threaten America to justice."

“Yesterday, in the heart of
rush hour, as thousands came into New York City through the Port Authority Bus
Terminal, Akayed Ullah allegedly came with a hate-filled heart and an evil
purpose: to murder as many innocent people as he could and blow himself up in the
process, all in support of the vicious terrorist cause of ISIS,” said Acting
U.S. Attorney Kim. “Although yesterday
he allegedly stood in the tunnels under Port Authority plotting to kill, today
he stands charged with federal crimes of terrorism. Those alleged terrorists who target New York
City do so because they feel threatened by the strength of our spirit, the
height of our ambition and the breadth of our freedom. They come seeking to sow hate, fear and terror. But in New York City, they find instead
strength, resilience and hope. Like many
before him, Akayed Ullah will also find another great American virtue:
justice. That justice will be tough, it
will be fair and it will be swift.”

“Akayed Ullah let loose his
plan to conduct a mass casualty attack, setting off a pipe bomb, strapped to
his body, inside a New York City subway terminal, as we allege today,” said
Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney.
Like many others before him, we believe Ullah was inspired by a group
that exploits technology in an effort to spread a violent ideology, effectively
convincing sympathizers to commit terrorist acts worldwide. The nature of this particular strain of the
terrorism threat can often mean evaluating behavior that doesn’t mean anything
until you combine it with other pieces of intelligence. We rely heavily upon the community’s
assistance to accomplish that task.”

“The act of terror committed
in New York City yesterday accomplished nothing,” said Commissioner
O’Neill. “It has not changed our way of
life. It was a cowardly act, fueled by a false sense of purpose — motivated by
propaganda in the shadows of the internet.
What is clear is the resolve of New Yorkers to live in a free society,
devoid of fear. I want to commend the
work of the NYPD-FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the prosecutors in the
Southern District for bringing today’s charges.
Finally, our security requires every single member of the public’s
help. It requires their vigilance. And it requires their care. If you see something that doesn’t look right,
contact law enforcement.”

As alleged in the Complaint:

Islamic State of Iraq and
Al-Sham (ISIS)

ISIS is a foreign terrorist
organization based in the Middle East and Africa whose publicly stated purpose
is the establishment of an Islamic state or caliphate based in the Middle East
and Africa that encompasses all Muslims worldwide. ISIS has pursued the objective of an Islamic
state through, among other things, killing and deliberate targeting of
civilians, mass executions, persecution of individuals and communities on the
basis of their religion, nationality, or ethnicity, kidnapping of civilians,
forced displacement of Shia communities and minority groups, killing and
maiming of children, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. ISIS has recruited thousands of foreign
fighters from across the globe to assist with its efforts to expand its
so-called caliphate in Iraq, Syria, and other locations in Africa and the
Middle East, and has leveraged technology to spread its violent extremist
ideology and for incitement to commit terrorist acts.

The Dec. 11, Attack

On Dec. 11, at approximately
7:20 a.m., an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated inside a subway
terminal (the Subway Terminal) in or around the New York Port Authority Bus
Terminal located at West 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue in New York, New York
(the December 11 Attack). Shortly after
the blast, members of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police
Department located an individual later identified as Akayed Ullah lying on the
ground in the vicinity of the explosion. Surveillance footage captured Ullah
walking through the Subway Terminal immediately prior to the explosion, and
then falling to the ground after the explosion.

Ullah was subsequently taken
into custody by law enforcement. During
the course of Ullah’s arrest, law enforcement officers located on his person
and in the surrounding area what appeared to be the components of an exploded
pipe bomb (the Pipe Bomb). Specifically,
law enforcement located, among other items, (i) a nine-volt battery inside
Ullah’s pants pocket; (ii) wires connected to the battery and running
underneath Ullah’s jacket; (iii) two
plastic zip ties underneath Ullah’s jacket; (iv) several fragments of a metal
pipe, including pieces of a metal end cap, on the ground; (v) the remnants of
what appeared to be a Christmas tree lightbulb attached to wires; and (vi)
pieces of what appear to be plastic zip-ties, among other items.

After Ullah was taken into
custody, he was transferred to Bellevue Hospital, where he made statements to
law enforcement officers after waiving his Miranda rights. During that interview, Ullah stated, among
other things, the following:

Ullah constructed the Pipe
Bomb and carried out the Dec. 11 Attack. Ullah was inspired by ISIS to carry
out the Dec. 11 Attack, and stated, among other things, “I did it for the
Islamic State.”

Ullah constructed the Pipe
Bomb at his residence in Brooklyn (the Residence);

The Pipe Bomb was comprised
of a metal pipe, which Ullah filled with explosive material that he
created. Ullah used Christmas tree
lights, wires, and a nine-volt battery as a trigger to detonate the Pipe
Bomb. Ullah filled the Pipe Bomb with
metal screws, which he believed would cause maximum damage. Ullah used zip ties to secure the Pipe Bomb
to his body.

Ullah carried out the Dec. 11
Attack in part because of the United States Government’s policies in, among
other places, the Middle East. One of
Ullah’s goals in carrying out the Dec. 11 Attack was to terrorize as many
people as possible. He chose to carry
out the attack on a work day because he believed that there would be more
people.

Ullah’s radicalization began
in at least approximately 2014. Ullah
viewed pro-ISIS materials online, including a video instructing, in substance,
that if supporters of ISIS were unable to travel overseas to join ISIS, they
should carry out attacks in their homelands.
He began researching how to build IEDs on the Internet approximately one
year ago.

On the morning of Dec. 11,
shortly before carrying out the attack, Ullah posted a statement on his
Facebook account referring to the President of the U.S., stating, in substance,
“Trump you failed to protect your nation.”
Ullah also posted a statement that he believed would be understood by
members and supporters of ISIS to convey that Ullah carried out the attack in
the name of ISIS.

Items Recovered from Ullah’s
Residence

On Dec. 11, law enforcement
agents conducted a search of the Residence pursuant to a judicially authorized
search warrant. Law enforcement agents
recovered, among other items, (i) multiple pieces of metal pipes; (ii) pieces
of wire and fragments of what appear to be Christmas tree lights; (iii)
multiple screws consistent with the screws recovered at the scene of the
December 11 Attack; and (iv) a passport in Ullah’s name with multiple
handwritten notations, including: “O
AMERICA, DIE IN YOUR RAGE.”

Three individuals were
injured as a result of the Dec. 11 Attack.

*
* *

Ullah is charged in a
Complaint with one count of provision of material support and resources to a
designated foreign terrorist organization which carries a maximum sentence of
20 years’ imprisonment; one count of using and attempting to use a weapon of
mass destruction which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment; one
count of bombing and attempting to bomb a place of public use which carries a
maximum sentence of life imprisonment; one count of destruction of property by
means of fire or explosives, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five
years’ imprisonment and a potential maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment;
and use of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, namely,
the use and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction which carries a
mandatory minimum consecutive sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment and potential
maximum of life, all in connection with Ullah’s alleged detonation of an
explosive device in New York City.

Mr. Sessions, Mr. Boente and
Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI; the NYPD; the
Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and
the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Police Department. Ullah’s arrest is the result of the close
cooperative efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of
New York, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force – which consists of law
enforcement officers of the FBI, NYPD, HSI and other agencies – and the U.S.
Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

The charges contained in the
Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless
and until proven guilty.

The prosecution is being
handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn G. Crowley, Rebekah Donaleski and
George D. Turner of the Southern District of New York, with assistance from the
Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security
Division.

Greg Norman at foxnews.com
offers a piece on the military backgrounds of three of the four police officers
who responded to the scene and took down the Port Authority bomber.

Three of the four hero
police officers credited with taking down the Port Authority terrorist are
former members of the military who ran toward the scene of the pipe bomb blast
as panicked commuters fled in the other direction, their union spokesperson says.

Sean Gallagher, a former
Marine, Drew Preston, who served three tours with the Army in Iraq, Anthony
Manferdini, a former Marine bomb technician and Jack Collins were identified by
the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association on Monday as the men who restrained
attempted suicide bomber Akayed Ullah.

“You couldn’t have had better
people on the scene,” spokesperson Bobby Egbert told 1010 WINS.

The Justice Department released
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s remarks on combating the violent, transnational drug gang MS-13 and the department's efforts to carry out the administration's immigration priorities:

Thank you, Steve for that
kind introduction and for nearly a quarter century of service to the Department
of Justice. You’ve had some big shoes to
fill, following Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, but you’re doing the
difficult work to keep your hometown safe.

Thank you also to Secretary
Nielsen. I also want to congratulate you
on your confirmation by the Senate last week in a strong, bipartisan vote.

I think that’s a sign of the
confidence that you have inspired in your leadership at the Department and at
the White House.

I appreciated our briefing
earlier today, and I’m looking forward to working with you to protect the
American people and implement the President’s ambitious agenda.

I want to recognize our FBI,
DEA, and ATF Special Agents in Charge who are here.

You all do terrific work to
protect the American people and I’m proud to stand with you.

But we know too well, violent
crime is up in many places across the country.
Last week, the Department released its annual National Crime Victimization
Survey. It shows that the rate of
Americans victimized by violent crime is up more than 13 percent.

Over the last two years, this
city in particular has experienced violence like we haven’t seen in nearly a
quarter of a century. The violent crime
rate is up nearly one-third. Rape is up
by 22 percent. Murder is up by
half. Baltimore has a higher murder rate
and a higher violent crime rate than Chicago with less than a quarter of the
population, if you can believe it.

The day I was sworn in as
Attorney General, President Trump ordered me to reduce crime in America and to
take on transnational criminal organizations, cartels, and gangs.

We embrace that agenda, and
we are carrying it out aggressively.

This year alone, the
Department has secured convictions against more than 1,000 gang members and
targeted MS-13.

With more than 10,000 members
across 40 U.S. states, MS-13 is one of the most dangerous gangs in
America. And make no mistake: this is a
transnational organization based in El Salvador, and it is the most violent in
our country.

The people of this community
have seen it firsthand.

In January, a 15-year old
girl from near here in Gaithersburg was stabbed 13 times with knives and a
wooden stake by MS-13 members. Her
killers filmed the murder so they could show their leaders back in El Salvador.

First, our goal with the
Department of Homeland Security is to end the illegality rampant in our
immigration system.

As Attorney General, I have
ordered our prosecutors to renew their focus on immigration
offenses—specifically where those criminals have a gang nexus, cartel, or
violent crime offense.

We have sent additional
prosecutorial resources to the Southwest Border and created Border Security
Coordinators in each of our U.S. Attorney’s Offices—to enforce immigration laws
with a special emphasis on criminals, like MS-13, that have a nexus to the
Southern Border.

I have designated MS-13 as a
priority for our Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. These task forces bring together a broad
coalition of federal law enforcement—from DEA, FBI, and ATF to ICE, the Coast
Guard, Secret Service, and the IRS. I
want to thank Secretary Nielsen and Department of Homeland Security personnel
for making an incredible contribution to these task forces.

These are important steps,
and we’ve already delivered results for the American people. Together with our partners in Central
America, we have filed criminal charges against more than 4,000 MS-13 members
and seized many of their firearms, vehicles, and other assets.

But we must also recognize
that transnational gangs like MS-13 have taken advantage of our porous Southern
Border and previously lax immigration law enforcement.

If we accept lawlessness,
then we encourage lawlessness.

When people break our laws
without consequences, we shouldn’t be surprised when they continue breaking our
laws.

In recent years, our
immigration system has been overwhelmed.
The caseload has tripled since fiscal 2009 and doubled since fiscal
2012.

As the backlog of immigration
cases grew out of control, the previous administration simply closed nearly
200,000 pending immigration court cases without a final decision in just five
years—more than were closed in the previous 22 years combined.

But under President Trump, we
have already taken steps to bring down the backlog in cases.

We are completing, not
closing, immigration cases. Under
President Trump, our immigration judges completed 20,000 more cases this last
fiscal year than in the previous one.

We have hired 50 immigration
judges since January, and we plan to hire another 60 over the next six months.

Last week, I issued a memo to
our Executive Office for Immigration Review. Which makes clear that cases are
to be resolved either with a removal order or a grant of relief. Appeals that are frivolous ought to be
resolved quickly, and fraud ought to be documented and prosecuted.

And finally, we will
implement objective performance measures to ensure that our judges are working
efficiently and fairly.

The American people—as well
as those who would come here and disrespect our laws—can be certain about this:
we are enforcing our laws again.

Since President Trump took
office, border crossings are now at their lowest level in 45 years. That is a
big achievement. But that number can be
zero. We can do it.

But it is also up to Congress
to improve our laws. We cannot wait any longer. As yesterday’s events showed us
in the starkest terms: the failures of our immigration system are a national
security issue.

Since 9/11, we have
prosecuted more than 500 people for terrorism-related offenses, and preliminary
figures suggest that nearly 75 percent of those defendants were foreign born.

The President is exactly
right to call attention to these issues and to how they affect our security. In
just the last two months, we’ve seen two terrorist attacks in New York City
carried out by men who were here as a result of failed immigration policies—the
diversity lottery and chain migration.

Between 2005 and 2016, we
admitted 9.3 million people under this chain migration policy. And each of
those people may be able to sponsor their relatives as well. It’s not
sustainable.

The President has also
proposed ending chain migration and switching to a merit-based system like they
have in Canada and Australia. That means
welcoming the best and the brightest and turning away not only terrorists, but
gang members and criminals.

We should give priority to
those who are likely to thrive here—such as those who speak English or are
highly skilled—not someone chosen at random or who happens to be somebody’s
relative.

In short, it means looking at
factors that indicate the applicant’s likelihood of assimilation and success in
the United States.

Let me be clear: ending
illegal immigration is not hopeless.
Having a legal immigration that serves the national interest is not
hopeless. We can do it. The Department
of Justice and Department of Homeland Security are partners in this effort.

If we follow the policies
laid out by President Trump, I believe that we will finally have the
immigration system the American people have asked for—and the system we
deserve.

Thank you.

You can also read my
Counterterrorism magazine piece on the Justice Department’s campaign against
MS-13 via the below link:

Monday, December 11, 2017

Sean Cunningham interviewed
veteran organized crime reporter and author George Anastasia (seen in the bottom photo) on the decline of
Cosa Nostra in America at realclearlife.com.

Even in death, John Gotti (seen in the above FBI mugshot) suffers indignities. A Gotti biopic starring John Travolta and directed by
Kevin Connolly (“E” from HBO’s Entourage) was scheduled to hit theaters on Dec.
15… only suddenly to be not only yanked from release but reportedly dumped by
Lionsgate completely.

Travolta has since pushed
back, insisting that it was actually a buyback that will allow for a wider
release in 2018. Indeed, they now want the film to compete at Cannes. (It still
needs to be submitted, much less accepted.)

This all feels oddly
consistent with the Gotti story. By the time he died of throat cancer in 2002
at age 61, his nicknames seemed to mock rather than flatter him. The “Dapper
Don” who bragged about wearing $1,800 suits gave up control of his wardrobe in
1992. That was the year he was sentenced to life in prison without the
possibility of parole as the “Teflon Don” turned stickum. His conviction was
particularly bitter since fellow defendant Sammy “The Bull” Gravano flipped on
him. Thus Gotti, whose public flamboyance just dared the government to take him
down… was taken down. And he remained down until his death.

Which was par for the course
during an era when the mob was bold, aggressive, loud, treacherous, and often
staggeringly inept, as if watching a season of The Sopranos in which every
single character was Paulie Walnuts.

“It’s a dark comedy,” said
George Anastasia. Anastasia spent decades documenting the mob in Philadelphia
for the Inquirer, but also explored the “big stage” of New York with Gotti’s
Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American
Mafia. (Alite was a friend, enforcer and self-professed “babysitter” for Gotti
Jr.)

… Anastasia noted that a
Gotti associate turned informant summed it up pretty well: “Mikey Scars—Michael
DiLeonardo—once said to me, ‘Cosa Nostra was this thing of ours. Johnny made it
this thing of mine.’ That was the difference. He talked about Cosa Nostra but
it was very egocentric.”

You can read the rest of the
piece and watch a trailer from the film Gotti via the below link:

The U.S. Justice Department
released Attorney General Jeff Sessions’statement on the attempted terrorist
attack in New York City:

“The President is exactly
correct about the changes we need to our immigration system. We have now seen
two terrorist attacks in New York City in less than two months that were
carried out by people who came here as the result of our failed immigration policies
that do not serve the national interest—the diversity lottery and chain
migration. The 20-year-old son of the sister of a U.S. citizen should not get
priority to come to this country ahead of someone who is high-skilled, well
educated, has learned English, and is likely to assimilate and flourish here.

“It is a failure of logic and
sound policy not to adopt a merit-based immigration system. The President has
asked Congress to work with him on ending the diversity lottery and chain
migration. He has proposed switching to a merit-based system of immigration
similar to the Canadian and Australian systems.
That means welcoming the best and the brightest and turning away not
only terrorists but gang members, fraudsters, drunk drivers, and child abusers.
Such a merit-based system would make us
safer and welcome individuals who would be best able to assimilate and flourish
in our country.”

The U.S. Navy released a
photo of Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral John Richardson with the team
behind the Navy's new tagline, "Forged by the Sea", at a mobile Navy
recruiting display at the 2017 Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia.

The photo was taken by Mass
Communication Specialist 1st Class Nathan Laird.

PaulDavisOnCrime@aol.com

Paul Davis is a writer who covers crime. He has written extensively about organized crime, street crime, sex crime, cyber crime, white collar crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. He is a contributing editor to The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International and a regular contributor to the Washington Times. His work has also appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Paul Davis has been a student of crime since he was a 12-year-old aspiring writer growing up in South Philadelphia. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was 17 in 1970 and served on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War. He also served two years on the Navy harbor tugboat USS Saugus at the U.S. nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland. He went on to do security work as a Defense Department civilian employee and then became a freelance writer. You can read Paul Davis' Crime Beat columns, crime fiction and magazine and newspaper pieces on this website. You can also read his full bio by clicking on the above photo.